Public Policy Forum Research

The Public Policy Forum aims to build public understanding of local government finances through comprehensive fiscal assessments and annual budget briefs. These reports shed light on the state of governmental fiscal affairs and their associated impacts on valued public services. Recent publications include in-depth financial reviews of Milwaukee County, the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and Milwaukee Public Schools. The Forum has complemented these projects with annual budget reviews for two of the area’s largest taxing bodies, Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee. In addition to these published reports, the Forum regularly works with local government agencies, providing more focused analyses in areas that can improve financial strength.

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Property values in the seven counties that make up southeastern Wisconsin were up significantly in two areas – the city of Milwaukee, where the tax base grew rapidly, fueling the rest of the region, and Walworth County, now the richest county in the...

The city of Milwaukee once was – and potentially
still is – an economic powerhouse, the financial
heart of our region, the driver of the entire state
of Wisconsin, and one of the great engines of growth
and prosperity in the Midwest. To develop this...

The city of Milwaukee once was – and potentially still is – an economic powerhouse, the
financial heart of our region, the driver of the entire state of Wisconsin, and one of the
great engines of growth and prosperity in the Midwest. To develop this...

By one key measure, the three largest cities in southeastern Wisconsin are
property tax havens. That key measure links home values to the net tax rate.
As a result, Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee homeowners paid lower property taxes than their...

The city of Milwaukee, whose tax base has been lagging behind the region for
decades, achieved a turnaround in the latest analysis of property values. The city’s
total equalized property value rose nearly 12% to $26.2 billion this year, compared
to...

In today’s world of budget deficits and tax cuts, local governments have
few viable options to cut costs while maintaining quality of service.
Municipal collaboration appears to be a practical solution. By working
together, municipalities may be...